The Associated PressDallas Cowboys' Marion Barber (24) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Irving, Texas.

In this ever evolving playoff picture, the NFL stands for Not For Long in my Top 12 rankings. Cowboys and Steelers maintain their lofty status. The 'Aints and Lightnin' Bolts bit the dust after two weeks cohabitating with the elite. Broncos jump to No. 5 after fortuitous win against San Diego, and Bills, Titans, Eagles and Cardinals make Top 12 debuts.

TOP 12/Week 3

1. COWBOYS (1) Tony Romo played well Monday night in his team's 41-37 electrifying victory against Philadelphia but Marion Barber is an absolute Beast.

2. STEELERS (2) Is it too early to calculate Pittsburgh's magic number in the AFC North?

3. GIANTS (4) G-Men have five more tune-up games in preparation for the Cowboys on Nov. 2.

4. PACKERS (8) Not ready to crown Aaron Rodgers the second coming of Brett Favre but a win Sunday night against Dallas at Lambeau Field might speed up the coronation.

5. BRONCOS (NR) Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good. At the moment, Denver is both.

6. COLTS (7) Peyton Manning reminded us of that age-old axiom, where there's a will, there's a way.

7. PANTHERS (9) Jake the Snake gets Steve "Fists of Fury'' Smith back this week after a two-game suspension.

SIDEBAR: The Raiders escaped the Bottom Five with a win against Kansas City but beleaguered Coach Lane Kiffin didn't appear to score any brownie points with boss man Al Davis.

DISHONORABLE MENTION: NFL Referee Ed Hochuli. Memo to Mr. Ed: Next time swallow your whistle. Jaguars, Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, Vikings. All five teams _ which are considered to be legitimate playoff teams in most prognosticating circles _ should be embarrassed to be winless after first two weeks of the season.

Brian Allee-Walsh can be reached at ballee-walsh@timespicayune.com or at 504.826.3805